Benny Hill

One of the endearing things about Benny Hill (Thames repeat) is his relish for truly terrible TV, old jokes, awful old films, commercials, westerns, action replays, repeats. All this is a solace not to say poultice at a time like this, when there is nothing much on but truly terrible TV.

Over Benny Hill (Thames) I prefer to draw a veil. Hill once paid me the compliment of parodying me on screen, a favour which precludes my pointing out at any length that his work is deteriorating to the merest self-regard and that if he radiates even an erg more complacency he'll go off like a pile of radioactive tapioca.

All comedians are thieves (so are writers - I should know). As a comedian who writes his own script, Benny Hill is bound to be a compulsive gag-snatcher. One could date the vintage of many of his jokes in The Benny Hill Show (Thames) like a conoisseur appreciating good old port.

All is grist to Hill's mill. He prefers show business with its bloomers showing.

I feel kinder towards "Eddie in August" because it tried something new. If you can call a silent film new. Silent except for music and sound effects. It gave the whole thing a dream-like feeling (do people talk in your dreams?) and a sensation of being alone except for the rumbling in your stomach.

The endearing thing about Benny Hill for me is that he obviously watches a great deal of television, unlike many performers who are too busy doing it to view it. Those who watch too much TV learn to enjoy even its awfulness. Particularly its awfulness.